Bordered by two oceans and crossed by three mountain ranges, Costa Rica is known for its natural beauty and unique biodiversity. Although half of the nation’s 4 million people are concentrated in the Central Valley, deforestation for agriculture and timber production has degraded much of the country. However, the government has restructured the protected areas system according to the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), which allows for biological corridors and promotes ecosystem management, compatible development, and community participation.
National parks, forest reserves, and indigenous reservations, and other public and private protected areas account for 27 percent of total land in Costa Rica, giving the country one of the highest percentages of protected lands in Latin America.
The Nature Conservancy helped the Costa Rican government create the more than 100,000 acre Corcovado National Park on the western part of the Osa Peninsula. Learn more...
The Talamanca region has one of the largest remaining stands of the Atlantic Moist Forests in Costa Rica and is home to outstanding biodiversity. Learn more...
